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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phoebe's take on one of the best stranglers albums, August 31, 2005
After working in a record store for 6 years and coming from a family of musicians and music lovers alike I thought I had heard
a great deal of good music,and then I discoverd this cd.
Meninblack is one of the most innovative albims I have ever heard. Apparently when it was released in '81 it garnerd little fanfare and no 'hits'- not suprising, it was way ahead of it's time.Forget Tangerine Dream- this album pioneered techno while still being very much a rock album. The more I listen to it the more I love it,a must have for fans of Talking Heads,Gang of Four,Devo etc., notable tracks:'It's Like Nothing on Earth','Waiting for the Men in Black',and 'Manna Machine' which listens like a distant stare into space.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Experimental concept album, March 11, 2002
In 1980, years before the film 'Meninblack' came out, the Stranglers devoted a concept album to black-clad extra-terrestrials. A track on the previous album, the classic 'Raven', had already touched on the theme and since the group and most of their fan base wore nothing but black it seemed logical to develop the idea further. In the columns of their excellent fanzine, 'Strangled', they tried to convince their following that since touching on the theme they had been plagued by bad luck (Hugh Cornwell's arrest, the theft of the band's equipment, etc). This was put down to the influence of aliens from outer space!! The MeninBlack (or M.I.B) album was much more electronic and synthesised than previous recordings. In many ways it was ahead of its time but fell on deaf ears from some of the more narrow minded of their punk following. The sight of fans pogoing to the mid-tempo 'Thrown Away' on Top of the Pops spoke volumes of the unwillingness of some to allow the group to evolve. Commercially the album was not a success but it is worth listening to. One classic lyric concerning Jesus' second coming was particularly inspired: 'he may be ugly and have problem hair, even speak funny and make all the people stare'.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Heady Topics for All Those Concerned..., June 30, 2009
With the deluge of seemingly unresponsive earthly inhabitants scurrying about in the early 80's, it's no wonder that the topics described herein by The Stranglers on "The Gospel" are as relevant and damning as ever. Covering vast extremes of religious fundamentalism to even the congregating masses awash in Americana's eyes, this album is a culmination and dare say climax of a synthesis of personal insight lead by the quad and furthered by a near silly progressive synth backdrop awash in goof speak as well as serious complications with personal faith. If there could be a contemporary album by the Stranglers, this was there initial fray into attacking even headier topics than "Black and White". Taken in this context, the album offers a startling venture in a (ahh hum) Godless world whose inhabitants, driven by media and inclusiveness, seemingly damn "the second" coming of what would've been the next prianna. It seems these topics where even troubling to the crew itself, and personally one of the standout tracks has to be Greenfields only vocal contribution that explores what is quite possibly his own issues with faith (namely Christianity) in a subtle exploration of "What if He came back today?" At the end...it would seem the Returner would be apt. to sit quietly in an institution quite unaware of his seeming relevance. This an album, nary a single to be plucked from its confines, but taken as whole it warrants consideration and appreciation for the subtleties of its lyrical adventurism and more often than not, lo-fi, driving synthesis.
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by The Stranglers 
